Even-keeled Cutch in midst of sustained surge

CHICAGO — Baseball is baseball. That’s the gist of what Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen had to say about the good and bad of Friday’s 9-4 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

The good: McCutchen went 3-for-5 with a double and a two-run ninth-inning home run. His hit streak reached a season-high seven games. He pushed his career hit total against the Cubs to 130 since he entered the league in 2009, more than any other player in baseball.

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The bad: The Pirates lost to the Cubs for the fourth time in four games this season. In those contests, the combined score is 29-9.

“It seems like they’ve given a lot of people trouble, besides us,” McCutchen said. “They’re a good team. When we get our opportunities, our chances, we’ve got to come through.”

But don’t think McCutchen is going to lose sleep over his team’s struggles against the first-place Cubs. He’s expressed a similar attitude about just about everything this year.

Early-season slump? …

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